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Black Friday Deals 2011: Toys and Games

If you are ready to take the Black Friday plunge and throw yourself into the shopping frenzy to find the perfect - or most affordable - toy or game for your kids, read through our round-up of the big stores' deals for Black Friday 2011.

What is hot?

In case you do not have a ready and vetted 'wish list' supplied to Santa by the main beneficiaries and are uncertain what the most desired items are this year, here is what seems to be most popular in the sales circulars.

For toddlers and preschoolers, V-tech and Leapster/Leapfrog devices and software are everywhere. Barbies, Bratz dolls and Disney Princesses and various related sets are offered for girls of all ages. Cars 2 are rolling mightily through most stores' deals. Lego boxes, train sets and a variety of vehicles with and without pedals and little electric engines for all ages are 'must-haves' and gaming tables of all kinds continue in popularity, as well. As for older boys, there is always the endless list of a favorite video games and somehow each year brings some kind of new or newly re-configured gaming console.

Where to get what?

The big stores all offer something for all of the key categories. Their pricing strategies are slightly different: Walmart and Target - which is running a pre Black Friday 4-day big sale, too - specify prices in dollars that are easy to assess. Toys R Us highlights the - in some cases clearly impressive - percentage discounts, Kmart has a few 'buy-one-get-second-free' deals. GameStop offers trade-ins.

For variety and selection, Toys R Us is probably the place to go: their offering is the richest both in terms of the types of toys and games offered as well as in the number and variety of brands. Walmart has a more limited selection, but they have a handful of blockbuster deals for each key 'hot' category, type of product. Target, true to its brand and image, has some deals and some nice, unexpected specialties. Kohl's is mainly focused on smaller items, matchboxes and doll sets. Sears may be worth checking it for their selection of gaming tables and bikes.

Store by store

Toys R Us

The big toy shopping spree can start as early as Thanksgiving Day, 9 pm. 150 toys and games are on the big sale. Below is a partial list of their best and biggest deals that really highlights the variety:

They also have many electronic gifts - phones, iPods, music players and of course video games on sale. If any of the biggest deal items caught your attention or you are looking for something specific, check out their Black Friday ad here.

Walmart

The king of discounters will open up its treasure chest at 10 pm Thanksgiving night. Walmart is offering limited items (both in selection and quantity) of deeply discounted items, but is also bringing some 'Walmart, only' special items this year. For their complete list of Black Friday deals, please, click through their ad here, for our 'best steals' list, see below:

Doors open at midnight, just after Thanksgiving. As expected, Target has the expected items in the expected categories, but also has a few, special item featured that others may not have or emphasize. However, their selection is significantly smaller than that of Toys R Us and somewhat more limited than Walmart's.

Sears is obviously not your number one choice when shopping for toys in general, but they have great deals on gaming tables, bikes and electronic toys. For gaming tables and bikes, it is not only the prices, but the selection and the choices that are worth checking out.

Their Black Friday sale ad is almost a catalog and is a bit difficult to navigate online, but you may want to browse through it before their show starts at 4 am on Friday.

Kmart and Kohl's

Kmart is kicking off their big event at 5 am Friday morning, while Kohl's starts early at midnight. Both have a more limited selection, Kmart having some 'bulkier', bigger items, while Kohl's mainly focusing on cars, doll sets and simpler interactive games.

The video game store will open at midnight and as expected, it is offering scores of deals on a variety of games including the most popular titles. If you are looking for something specific, you can look through their items here, while a partial list of their deals is below:

Wii bundle with Super Mario Bros: $149.99
Nintendo: $169.99
Save $20 on Gears of War, Sonic and similar games
Save $10 on Portal 2, Battlefield, Medal of Honor games

GameStop offers in-store credit for used iPods (up to $70 for nanos, up to $120 for newer versions), iPhones (up to $180) and iPads (up to $300).

Local specialty toy stores

If you are looking for a specialty toy or a more niche brand or are simply searching for new, creative toy ideas, you may want to visit one of the many local, smaller specialty toy stores in your community such as Giant Steps in Farfield, The Wooden Toy in Wethersfield, The Toy Room in Bethel or Smart Kids Toys in Greenwich. Some of these specialty toys come out with their own Black Friday deals and ads, look for them in your local newspaper.

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